ORLANDO, Fla. – With injuries and national-team players rolling in and out of Central Florida, the Orlando Pride have never really been at full strength all season.
On Friday, though, Pride head coach Tom Sermanni nonchalantly announced the return of right back Ali Krieger.
“She’s fit, healthy and ready to be selected,” Sermanni said after training Friday.
The 33-year-old, who turns 34 in less than a month, suffered an MCL injury in her right knee in a 5-2 win over the Chicago Red Stars on May 26. It was announced she would miss four to six weeks after a 70-minute outing against the Red Stars.
Krieger fully recovered by the end of the four-week mark, as Sermanni expected.
“She’s recovering really well at the moment,” Sermanni said after training on June 12. “So I would say, knowing Ali, she’ll be wanting to be back at the four-week end of that. But she’s doing very, very well.”
Before the end-of-May knock, Krieger had played every single minute of every Pride match since joining the team ahead of the 2017 season.
In Krieger’s absence, the Pride have fared decently on the defensive end. Orlando has allowed five goals in its last four games, including recording shutouts of Seattle Reign FC on June 3 and of the Washington Spirit on June 23.
Krieger could see minutes as early as Saturday when the Pride host a pivotal, powerhouse rematch against the North Carolina Courage.
For more on Krieger, as she looks to make her return to the pitch in over a month, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com, or you can tweet at him.
